Requiem Finale Retold
by Gale Force
Summary: Tony saves Gibbs and Maddie from the sunken car...but I've rewritten it to more properly show what really would have happened. Tony's still the hero. Some swearing.


**Author's note**: I love the fact that Tony's the hero in this, but in the "real world" there are problems with this ending, which I've tried to fix.

As always, reviews and constructive criticism help the creative process along. ; )

By the way, there's a video at YouTube of this scene, uploaded by DiNozzo87. The song to the vid is Nemo by Nightwish. I recommend you listen to that song while reading this story.

Hope you like.

**Requiem: The Finale**

**(NCIS Rewritten)**

**by Gale Force**

All hell broke loose.

"Get in the car," Gibbs yelled. He and Maddie sprinted for the car, got in. Gibbs floored it and the tires shrieked as the car backed out of the hangar. Even as the bullets whined past his head he had his plan. Fishtail to the left, gun the car, drive the hell out of here.

Didn't work. Some of those bullets must have broken a brake line...damn brakes weren't working!

The car zoomed off the back of the seawall at speed and started sinking immediately.

Gibbs cut the engine.

"Gibbs," gasped Maddie, "What are we going to do?"

Desperately she tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. The dark, clear water had already enveloped them, it pressed against them, trying to get in. There were three bullet holes in the windshield...a thin trickle ran down the inside of the glass.

"Stay calm, Maddie," said Gibbs, calmly. "I'll kick out..."

He tried to lift up the steering wheel, which had dropped into his lap. It wouldn't lift up. What the hell? He yanked...and yanked... nothing. Gibbs suppressed a great deal of swearing. Maddie mustn't panic.

Maddie was banging her shoulder against the door futility. "It won't open! It won't open!"

"Stop it, Maddie," Gibbs ordered. "It's the water pressure. Too much pressure. The doors are sealed shut. You won't be able to open the door."

She stopped trying, her breath coming in deep gasps.

"Try to breathe a bit more shallowly, Maddie," Gibbs said with a bit of a grin. "We've got air but it won't last long the way you're going through it."

She stared at him, wide-eyed, but made a conscious attempt to breathe slower.

The water was up to his ankles now. He could feel its coldness, like cold, skeletal fingers, ready to draw him down.

" Listen to me carefully," he told her, calmly. "Bullets don't penetrate water very well. At least, not those shot from pistols. So this is what you have to do. You unroll the window, and you let the water come in. It will come in in a rush. As soon as it's filled the entire car, you'll be able to get out through the window. You swim like hell for the surface, but at an angle, away from the seawall. You surface only enough to catch a breath, and then you go down about four or five feet and swim like hell. Any time you need to surface you make it quick, then you get back down. Just keep on swimming."

"But what about you?" demanded Maddie.

"Don't worry about me," said Gibbs. "I'll be right behind you. But whatever you do, don't stop swimming."

She put her hands on the steering wheel. "I saw you trying to lift this up. If we do it together."

She yanked as hard as he could, and he put his strength to it as well, but he couldn't get the leverage on it, and the water was rising higher and higher.

"Try your window now," Gibbs told her.

"I'm not leaving you," Maddie snapped.

"Yes, you are," Gibbs barked. "It was my job to protect you and if you die I fail, get it? And I don't ever fail, and I don't want to die knowing I've failed, got it? So open your goddamn window!"

Sobbing, she turned, pressed the lever on the window. Nothing happened.

Gibbs suppressed a lot more swearing. The electricity in the car had shorted out. The windows wouldn't roll down. And of course this was a new car – no handles to unroll the windows manually. What jackass had decided they wouldn't be needed? Bastard should be here in this car.

The water was waist high now.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Maddie said. "I can't swim."

Gibbs heart sank, but he said briskly, "Doesn't matter. All you have to do is get out of this car and kick your legs til you get to the surface. Then you'll learn how to swim soon enough."

Gibbs reached up. If the impact of the bullet holes had burst the integrity of the seal of the windshield. If he could press hard.... good god... was that.... Tony?

Tony was there!

If Gibbs had had the time he would have wiped the sudden hot liquid tears from his eyes. Good old Tony.

Tony swam down, trying to open the door on Gibb's side. Gibbs waved him off, pointing toward the windshield. Frantically he scrabbled in his pocket, withdrew pen and paper He forced himself to write legibly.

"Legs trapped.

Remove windshield. Save Maddie."

And then, knowing Tony, and what he'd try to do... "She can't swim. Take her to surface."

He saw Tony's eyes read the note...saw his eyes widen...then their two pairs of eyes locked in understanding.

He and Maddie pressed with all their might at the top of the windshield, while Tony pounded on it from above and then peeled it open, like opening a tin can. The last vestige of air in the car disappeared.

Tony grabbed Maddie and kicked upward.

They didn't move. Maddie, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's from the final gasp of air she'd just sucked into her lungs, was hanging on to Gibbs's hand like grim death.

Gibbs peeled her fingers off him, and Tony and she shot to the surface.

_This is it_, Gibbs thought, holding his own last breath, as he fought once more to release the steering wheel trapping him.

It didn't budge. His lungs were burning, he had no choice, he opened his mouth in a vain effort to breathe and water flooded his lungs. Burning...burning...

He saw a bright, white light.... and there were Shannon and Kelly, waiting for him, smiling and waving. Beautiful Shannon, beautiful Kelly...he was going home at last.

_Oh god, oh jesus, oh god, oh jesus. Boss, don't do this to me._

Tony had followed orders. He'd brought Maddie up to the surface, shoved her over to the seawall, heaved her on top of it. Then he'd dove back into the water and with all his might was straining against the god-damned steering wheel. With a final snick it lifted, and Gibbs' lifeless..oh god, those eyes... body started to rise.

Tony pulled him free and headed for the surface as fast as he could.

Maddie helped him lift Gibbs onto the deck and he began CPR immediately, compressing his chest to force water out of his lungs, gasping breath and breathing into him...

_"It's OK, Daddy, It's OK. Go back Daddy, go back. It's OK. I love you Daddy, I love you."_

The white light faded. Gibbs reached out toward his daughter, tried to take her hand, then all of a sudden it was like his soul was rushing out of him...no..it was a bloody great lot of water.

Gibbs turned over on his side and coughed water out of his lungs, as Tony DiNozzo leaned back and looked skyward.

Maddie had taken his hand, she was crying.

Gibbs laughed, weakly, as he lay there on his side, weak as a kitten.

"Tony..."

"Yeah, Boss."

"You did good."

Tony smiled. He was glad that his wet face hid the tears streaming from his own eyes.

"Thanks, Boss."


End file.
